Fairy Tales for Fun and Wisdom. Kirill Shatilov

который мечтал о тропиках)

      Far in the Arctic, an iceberg named Kira floated among her icy siblings. She dreamed of warmth and color, imagining lush green forests and golden beaches.

      One day, a strong current pulled Kira southward. The other icebergs warned her, “You’ll melt and disappear if you leave!”

      But Kira replied, “I want to see the world, even if it means I won’t stay the same.”

      As she drifted into warmer waters, Kira began to shrink. She felt lighter, freer, as pieces of her fell away and joined the ocean.

      Eventually, she became so small that she could no longer float as an iceberg. Instead, she became part of the sea, traveling with the waves to places she had only dreamed of.

      Even as she disappeared, her spirit lived on in the rain, rivers, and streams, bringing life to the tropics she had once imagined.

      Moral:

      Sometimes, fulfilling your dreams means embracing change.

      Notes:

      – Iceberg – a large piece of floating ice (айсберг).

      – Current – the movement of water in the ocean (течение).

      – Shrink – to become smaller (уменьшаться).

      – Tropics – warm regions near the equator (тропики).

      The Tree That Held the Mountain (Дерево, которое удержало гору)

      In the rugged Carpathian Mountains, a great oak tree grew on a steep hillside. Its roots clung tightly to the soil, holding the mountain steady.

      One spring, heavy rains soaked the ground, and the hillside began to crumble. Rocks tumbled, streams turned into rushing rivers, and the villagers below feared a landslide.

      The oak, feeling the earth shift, whispered to its roots, “Hold tighter. The mountain needs us.”

      The smaller trees around it panicked. “We’re too small! We’ll be swept away!”

      The oak replied, “Together, we are stronger. Dig deeper. We can save the mountain.”

      The trees followed the oak’s advice, their roots intertwining with its. Together, they stopped the earth from sliding, saving the village below.

      The villagers, seeing the oak’s strength, called it “The Guardian Tree” and protected the forest for generations.

      Moral:

      Even the strongest need others to stand firm.

      Notes:

      – Rugged – rough and uneven (скалистый, неровный).

      – Crumble – to break apart into small pieces (разрушаться).

      – Landslide – when a large amount of earth or rocks falls down a slope (оползень).

      – Intertwining – twisting together (переплетающиеся).

      The Cloud That Became a Mountain (Облако, которое стало горой)

      Above the wide plains of Mongolia, a lonely cloud drifted in the endless sky. She longed to be like the mountains below, solid and majestic, watching the world from the same place every day.

      One day, the wind asked her, “Why are you so sad, little cloud?”

      “I want to be a mountain,” she replied.

      The wind thought for a moment. “If that’s your wish, I can help. But it won’t be easy.”

      The wind blew the cloud over the dry plains, where her drops of rain fell to the earth. Over time, grass grew, then trees, and finally, animals came to live there.

      The cloud continued to give herself to the land, drop by drop, until one day, she was gone. In her place rose a great hill, covered in green and alive with life.

      The wind whispered, “You didn’t just become a mountain. You gave life to the world.”

      Moral:

      True greatness comes from giving, not taking.

      Notes:

      – Drifted – moved slowly with the wind (плыла по ветру).

      – Majestic – very beautiful and impressive (величественный).

      – Plains – large, flat areas of land (равнины).

      – Drop by drop – slowly, one bit at a time (по капле).

      The Phoenix Who Forgot How to Rise (Феникс, который забыл, как возродиться)

      In a distant desert, a phoenix named Ashara lived in a nest of embers. Every hundred years, she would burst into flames and rise again, reborn.

      But one day, after a long and tiring century, Ashara felt doubt. “What if I don’t rise this time?” she thought. “What if I disappear forever?”

      When the time came, the flames engulfed her, but she hesitated, afraid to spread her wings. Her ashes remained still.